The Gift that Keeps on Giving I wrote a story almost two years ago about my saga of trying to get Mercedes Benz Escondido to install a trailer hitch on my new GLS 450, as they had promised they could and would when I bought (actually leased) the car. The outcome of that story involved MB Escondido splitting the outrageous $3,600 cost to install what is a $575 factory option. Today is the first time…
Laborers One should never be too old or too set in one’s ways so as not to be open to learning and improving oneself. When I wrote my story yesterday and mentioned that I would be hiring a pair of Mexican laborers, a term I view as only descriptive and not in any way derogatory. Being half Venezuelan and often being mistaken by marketers as having a Hispanic surname, it would be hard for me…
The Fight of the Century Imagine being on a motorcycle trip through Turkey during a Trump-inspired war (of a sort) between Turkey and neighboring Syria. Now imagine being a very left-leaning liberal who has been struggling for several years to comprehend how America got to such a low-point as to actually elect a dolt like Trump to the highest office in the land, nay, the world. You find yourself amidst a group of close friends…
Earth Day Today I am advised through multiple emails and social media posts that it is Earth Day. I am somewhat surprised that Earth Day began in its current formal form in 1970, when I was sixteen years old. That means that Earth Day is fifty-one years old this year. For my entire adult life e have been focused on environmental issues. I also remember the summer of 1971 when I spent that summer before…
The Whole Nine Yards I’m not sure how widely known the expression is, but the whole nine yards has always been an interesting expression. Most people (including me originally) thought it had something to do with football. Ten yards being the first down distance that needs to be covered, it was logical to assume that it had something to do with covering the majority of the remaining distance for a first down, perhaps on fourth…
Black and White We are living once again in a world dominated by racial issues. Between the Derek Chauvin case about the death of George Floyd and now the Daunte Wright shooting a mere few miles away from the place where George Floyd was held on the ground under a neck choke hold for 9 minutes and 29 seconds that took his life, the news cycle is dominated by these Minnesota cases this week. Last…
The Good Earth Yes, I am borrowing Pearl Buck’s title and no, this story is not about a family living in a small Chinese village. This story is about sowing and reaping the resources that the Earth gives us. In microcosm, I am living the reality of reaping what I sow right here on this little hilltop. Some of my days are spent teaching and there is little that happens in this world that is…
Discretion Shakespeare says in King Henry the Fourth through the likable, comic and slightly roguish character Sir John Falstaff that discretion is the better part of valor. What he means is that sheer acts of bravery are foolhardy and it is far better to be cautious, to show good judgment, to be reserved, to make responsible decisions. It can mean that shying away from battle is smarter and better than engaging. One could suggest that…
Letting the Sun Shine Kim and I sit on the sofa most nights while the afternoon turns to evening, listening to the day’s news and wondering about the state of the world. The current debate playing out on the national stage seems to be focused on whether government is an instrument of good or bad. Are we in 1930 and in need of the helping hand of FDR, or are we in 1980 when Reagan…
The Boredom of Biden Today someone sent me a Randy Rainbow YouTube which highlights the fact that Joe Biden is so much less interesting to make fun of than Donald Trump. Obviously, since Randy Rainbow spent most of the last five years making fun of Trump, this is not real criticism of Biden, but rather an underlining of the fact that in national politics we can all use a bit of down-time with some regular…